Many composite parts (e.g., carbon fiber products, such as aircraft wings) are created as a series of vertically stacked plies which are bonded/cured together over time. In this manner, plies of constituent material are iteratively laid up and cured to consolidate into the composite part. To enhance the strength of a composite part with respect to stresses applied in different directions, each ply of constituent material within the composite part may include fibers that are oriented in a different direction than the fibers of neighboring plies. The combination of fiber orientations for the plies within the part dictates the strength of the part with respect to different kinds of stresses.
For complex parts that are divided into panels, the process becomes more complicated. For example, a design for the part may dictate complex and differing patterns of fiber orientations. These fiber orientations may even vary across multiple panels that together form the part. With complex parts that are intended to bear great stresses and are mission-critical (e.g., the wings of an aircraft), it remains a complicated process to ensure that desired strength is provided. Thus, current techniques for designing composite parts focus on ensuring part strength, and do not address manufacturing efficiency for a given part.